Elevator shelf unit

ABSTRACT

This elevator shelf unit is used in combination with a cabinet. It consists of a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelves rotatably mounted on a sleeve telescopically liftable on an upstanding rod on a base on the floor of the cabinet, the shelves being extendable through an opening in the top of the cabinet. A winch, rotatable by a crank handle through a side of the cabinet, operates a cable and pulley system for lifting the shelves, and a latch near the crank handle serves to hold the shelves in a desired elevated position. A counterweight system is optionally provided for use with heavy shelf loads. It may be used as concealable liquor shelves, or other household needs, for example, with a bathroom cabinet for toilet articles, with a kitchen cabinet for spices and other cooking essentials, etc.

United States Patent Longmire, Sr.

[ 5] Mar. 21, 1972 3,065,037 11/1962 Chapman ..3l2/312 X [72] Inventor: Ernest B. Longmlre, Sr., 2505 South Primary Examiner james T McCall Rowell St., Mobile, Ala. 36606 Atmmey Gustave Miner [22] Filed: Apr. 8, 1970 T [21] Appl. No.: 26,716 [57] ABS RACT This elevator shelf unit is used in combination with a cabinet. It consists of a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelves [2?] :LSil ..3l2/31\2,$bl[71;g2 rotatably mounted on asleeve telescnpicauy lit-table on an 'T i [35 21 standing rod on a base on the floor of the cabinet, the shelves 1 o earc 3 i being extendable through an opening in the top of the cabinet. A winch, rotatable by a crank handle through a side of the cabinet, operates a cable and pulley system for lifting the [56] References Cited shelves, and a latch near the crank handle serves to hold the UNITED STATES PATENTS shelves in a desired elevated position. A counterweight system I IS optionally provided for use with heavy shelf loads. It may be Chase used as concealable liquor shelves o other household needs 1,676,103 7/1923 P 312/3l2 UX for example, with a bathroom cabinet for toilet articles, with a 2,270,896 1/1942 PP -312/319 kitchen cabinet for spices and other cooking essentials, etc. 2,575,725 11/1951 McKay ..312/312 2,895,31 l 7/1959 7 Spalvins ..312/312 X 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 26 32 J .30 I 1 l l l l l l l 26 j .l 30 .32 I l I /22 l 60 3 5 5 5 f i 39 5 8 28 36 e0 11 n ll\ \\\2\ l 6 d ELEVATOR SHELF UNIT Patented March 21, 1972 I 3,650,591

3 Shoots-Shut 1 w g m 53E E a??? g INVENTOR Q Ernes/ B. Langm/refir.

ATTORNEY Patented March 21, 1972 5 Sheets-Shet 3 INVENTOR Ernesf 5. Longm/re, 5/.

ATTORNEY ELEVATOR SHELF UNIT OBJECTS OF THIS INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a cabinet with an elevator shelf unit'which may be lifted above the cabinet top, carrying usable and removable articles on the shelves, or retracted down into the cabinet along with the articles thereon for storage and concealment in the cabinet.

A further object of this invention is to provide an elevator shelf unit which is to be installed in a cabinet on a telescopic mount and elevatable through an opening in the cabinet shelf to lift articles on the shelves from storage position within the cabinet to usable position above the cabinet top.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a compact elevator shelf unit which may be made in various sizes to fit various existing cabinets within which it is to be installed.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an elevator shelf unit which may be lifted by winch and pulley system, but which may also be lifted by any conventional lifting means, such as hydraulic means, a two way electric motor, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a cabinet with the elevator DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION There is shown at 10 the elevator shelf unit of this invention mounted in a more or less conventional cabinet 12 somewhat modified for operatively mounting this shelf unit 10 therein.

The shelf unit consists of an upstanding rod 14 welded or otherwise securely fastened to a base plate 16, here shown as being rectangular and provided at its corners with apertures 18 through which fastening studs or bolts may extend to secure the rod 14 to the cabinet floor 20. Telescopically liftable on rod 14 is a sleeve 22 on which are secured a plurality of vertically spaced apart shelves 24, 26 and 28, here shown as four in number, but which may be more or less in number. Each shelf is secured on the sleeve 22 by a flanged collar 30 and set screw 32 of sufficient strength to bear the weight of the shelves and the articles 34 of any nature that may be placed thereon. The cabinet top 36 has an opening 38 through which the shelves lift up. The elevating mechanism 40, hereinafter described, may be so adjusted that the upper shelf 24 will be in the same plane as the plane of the cabinet top 36 as in FIG. 2 when the shelves are down, and the lower self 28 is in the plane of the cabinet top 36 when the shelves are up as in FIGS. 1 and 3. Holes 42 may be provided in the middle shelves 26 for stabilizing the articles 34 when such articles are bottles which may have their upper ends extend therethrough.

The elevating mechanism include a pair of bracket arms 44 extending from opposite sides of a pillow bearing block 46 in which the sleeve 22 is rotatably supported between opposed flanged collars 48 secured by set screws 50 to the sleeve 22. Secured to each of the outer ends of bracket arms 44 is double pulley 52, and a pair of similar double pulleys 54 are supported on a rod 56 supported on an angle iron 58 secured on an inner side of the cabinet 12 at 60, there being two such angle irons 58, one for each of the upper double pulleys 54. A single pulley 62 is also supported by each rod 56, over which a counterweight 64 is supported on the end of a parachute cord or cable 66 reeved through the single pulleys 62, the other end of the counterweight cables 66 being reeved through one pulley wheel of the upper double pulleys 54 and anchored to the block of lower double pulleys 52. Such counterweight 64 and its cable 66 and single pulley 62 may be omitted except when fairly heavy loads are expected to be placed on the shelves.

For controllable lifting and lowering the shelves, a lifting cable 68 is anchored at 70 to the block of the upper pulley 54, then reeved twice through the lower .and upper double pulleys 52 and 54 and then wound about and anchored to the winch 72 fixed on a shaft 74 which is rotatable in pillow block bearings 76 mounted on upright stanchions 78 mounted in the cabinet 12. One end of winch shaft 74 extends through a side of the cabinet 12 and has fixed thereon the crank handle 80 for controllably rotating the same.

The winch 72 has a number of circumferentially spaced radially extending latch holes 82 for receiving a latch pin 84 on the end of a latch crank arm 86 pivoted on a bracket 88 mounted on a cross bar 90 fixed in the cabinet 12. The latch crank arm 86 is controlled by a Bowden cable 92 extending through the side of cabinet 12 adjacent the crank arm 80 and terminating in a control knob 94.

Obviously, a pawl and ratchet may be used instead of the latch crank arm 86 and pin 84 and the latch holes 82. The ratchet wheel would be placed around the winch in place of the latch holes 82, and the pawl would be attached to the Bowden cable 92 for releasing the rachet permitting the lift to be lowered, but it would automatically engage and hold the ratchet when the shelf unit is lifted.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION In operation, the angle irons 58, the stanchions 78 and the cross arm 90 may all be secured together as part of a framework and be an independent frame unit for mounting in a cabinet 12, as well as being secured in the cabinet as already described. To install the elevator shelf unit 10 in a cabinet 12, the framework unit or elements are mounted in the cabinet, a suitable hole or opening 38 being first cut through the cabinet top 36, and openings are also cut to receive the crank handle 80 and the Bowden cable 92 for the latch knob 84. If only light loads are to be placed on the shelves, the counterweight 64 and its cable 66 and'pulley 62 my be omitted. To lift or lower the shelves, the latch knob 94 is pulled out, permitting the crank handle 80 to be rotated to raise or lower the shelves by winding or unwinding the lifting cable 68 on the winch 72. Then, when the shelves are in the desired position, the latch knob 94 is pushed in latching the shelves in desired position.

When a pawl and ratchet is present, the unit can be lifted by rotating the crank handle 80, without touching the release knob 94. To lower the unit, the knob 94 is pulled to hold the pawl disengaged, permitting the crank handle 80 to lower the unit.

ABSTRACT OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts, and for the purposes of explication, set forth below are the numbered parts of the improved Elevator Shelf Unit:

10 elevator shelf unit 12 cabinet 14 upstanding rod 16 base plate for 14 18 apertures in 16 20 cabinet floor 22 telescopic sleeve 24 top shelf 26 two middle shelves 28 bottom shelf 30 flanged collar for shelves 32 set screws for 30 34 articles placed on shelves 36 cabinet top opening in 36 for shelves to pass through 40 elevating mechanism 42 stabilizing holes in middle selves 26 44 bracket arms 46 pillow block bearing on 22 for 44 48 opposed flanged collars for 46 50 set screws in 48 52 lower double pulleys 54 upper double pulleys 56 upper pulley supporting rod 58 angle iron support for 56 60 securement of 58 to inner side of cabinet 12 62 single pulleys for counterweight 64 pound counterweight 66 counterweight cable 68 lifting cable 70 anchor of 68 72 winch 74 shaft of winch 72 76 pillow block bearings for winch shaft 74 78 stanchions for 76 80 crank handle for winch shaft 74 82 latch holes 84 latch pin 86 latch crank arm 88 latch bracket 90 cross arm for 88 92 Bowden cable for latch pin 94 latch knob Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. For insertion within a cabinet (12) having floor a top (36) and an opening (38) through said top (36); an elevator shelf unit 10) comprising an upstanding rod securable on said floor (20) beneath said top opening (38), a sleeve (22) telescopically mounted on said upstanding rod (14), a shelf (24) secured on said sleeve (22), said shelf (24) closing said top opening (38) when said sleeve (22) is telescoped down on said upstanding rod (14) in lowered position, controllable means (72, 80, 68 and 94) for elevating said sleeve (22) to raise said shelf (24) above said cabinet top (36), additional shelves (26,28) spaced vertically apart on and secured on said sleeve (22) beneath said first named shelf (24) and liftable with said sleeve (22), at least one of said upper shelves (26) having means (42) complementary to an article (34) supportable on a lower shelf for stabilizing such article, means (46,48) rotatably mounting said telescopic sleeve (22) on said upstanding rod (14), said controllable elevating means comprising bracket means (44) secured on a lower portion of said telescopic sleeve (22), bracket means (58) securable thereabove within said cabinet, pulley means (52,54) cooperatively mounted on both said bracket means (44,58), a winch (72) rotatably mountable within said cabinet lifting cable means (68) extending from said winch and reeved through said pulley means (52,54) and anchorable within said cabinet, a crank handle on said winch (72) extendable through a side of said cabinet, means (94) for latching said winch (72) against rotation, said latching means (94) being extendable through a side of said cabinet adjacent said crank handle (80), and a base plate (16) on which said upstanding rod (14) is secured, said base plate being securable to said cabinet floor (20).

2. The unit (10) of claim 1, a shelf counterweight, (64) additional pulley (62) means mounted in said bracket, and counterweight (64) cable means (66) securable at one end to said counterweight, reeved through all said pulley means, and anchored at its other end, 

1. For insertion within a cabinet (12) having floor (20), a top (36) and an opening (38) through said top (36); an elevator shelf unit (10) comprising an upstanding rod securable on said floor (20) beneath said top opening (38), a sleeve (22) telescopically mounted on said upstanding rod (14), a shelf (24) secured on said sleeve (22), said shelf (24) closing said top opening (38) when said sleeve (22) is telescoped down on said upstanding rod (14) in lowered position, controllable means (72, 80, 68 and 94) for elevating said sleeve (22) to raise said shelf (24) above said cabinet top (36), additional shelves (26,28) spaced vertically apart on and secured on said sleeve (22) beneath said first named shelf (24) and liftable with said sleeve (22), at least one of said upper shelves (26) having means (42) complementary to an article (34) supportable on a lower shelf for stabilizing such article, means (46,48) rotatably mounting said telescopic sleeve (22) on said upstanding rod (14), said controllable elevating means comprising bracket means (44) secured on a lower portion of said telescopic sleeve (22), bracket means (58) securable thereabove within said cabinet, pulley means (52,54) cooperatively mounted on both said bracket means (44,58), a winch (72) rotatably mountable within said cabinet lifting cable means (68) extending from said winch and reeved through said pulley means (52,54) and anchorable within said cabinet, a crank handle (80) on said winch (72) extendable through a side of said cabinet, means (94) for latching said winch (72) against rotation, said latching means (94) being extendable through a side of said cabinet adjacent said crank handle (80), and a base plate (16) on which said upstanding rod (14) is secured, said base plate being securable to said cabinet floor (20).
 2. The unit (10) of claim 1, a shelf counterweight, (64) additional pulley (62) means mounted in said bracket, and counterweight (64) cable means (66) securable at one end to said counterweight, reeved through all said Pulley means, and anchored at its other end. 